Koch group, unions battle over Colorado schools race

The Kochs' political advocacy group has been investing more heavily in local races. | AP Photo

The Americans for Prosperity spending has boosted their cause. And the reformers have raised more than three times as much as the insurgents, thanks to $140,000 in donations from two wealthy Coloradans who have long been active in promoting vouchers.

The board’s policies also received a boost — and a splash of national publicity — from two conservative scholars hired as consultants by the Douglas County Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for district schools. Former Education Secretary William Bennett, who was paid $50,000, produced a laudatory paper praising the board’s actions as “perhaps the most promising array of education reforms underway in America today.”

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Fredrick Hess, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who was paid $35,000, entitled his paper “The Most Interesting School District in America?” and promoted it in an online discussion last month with Bennett and the Douglas County superintendent, Elizabeth Fagen. The district also emailed Hess’ report to tens of thousands of parents.

Hess didn’t disclose in the paper that he was paid by the Douglas County foundation, but said he didn’t see a conflict in calling attention to the board’s “ambitious and energetic” reforms, especially since he wasn’t passing judgment on their efficacy. “It’s a huge open question,” Hess said, “whether this is going to work.”

Most available metrics show the district’s academic performance, already high, has at least held steady during the reforms.

District scores on state math, reading and writing tests are stable, and science scores have improved, even though the county has absorbed an online school serving 3,0000 low-performing students. On the other hand, Douglas County no longer outperforms the state by as much as it used to, as other Colorado districts have made bigger strides.

The high school graduation rate is up, though that could be in part because the board cut the number of credits required for a diploma. (Douglas County used to require more credits than neighboring districts; now it’s on par.) ACT scores have inched up. More students are taking Advanced Placement tests, but the pass rate has dipped. Class sizes have grown.

The Americans for Prosperity ads focus on the positive metrics. The tagline: “It’s working.” The ad from the union-backed Committee for Better Schools counters, “Under this school board, we’ve fallen behind.”

But performance data isn’t all that matters to parents like Stefania Scott, who has two children in Douglas County elementary schools. To her, the reforms’ biggest impact has been the splintering of her community.

Five years ago, Scott said, all the kids on the block walked together to the local elementary school. Now, each family goes their own way — some to charters, some to private schools and some to public schools across town that have successfully marketed themselves as worth the drive. She has stuck with her neighborhood school, but often thinks of pulling up stakes.

“It’s truly broken up the community,” Scott said, “and it’s sad.”

If the reformers retain control of the board, more jolting changes are likely.

The district has revamped its curriculum and no longer considers “knowing and understanding large amounts of information” a key goal for students.

Instead, teachers are told to focus on nurturing “21st century skills” like creativity, communication and critical thinking. One high school is even talking about abolishing traditional classes and instead having kids with common hobbies get together to explore topics — so avid skateboarders, for instance, might study physics by deconstructing their best stunts.

The district is also developing a huge new database to track students’ and teachers’ progress. Principals will be able to upload videos of teachers at work and photos of student projects to help determine which educators deserve raises. Student assessment data will be entered as well — not just test scores, but also teacher evaluations of skills such as creativity and collaboration.

Fagen, who was hired by the board in 2010 and is the highest-paid superintendent in the state, with a base salary of $270,000, said she believes most in the community back the reforms. But she is prepared for continuing dissent, no matter the election’s outcome.

“I don’t think anyone expected to change a 100-year-old institution as dramatically as we have,” she said, “… and not experience some turbulent waters.”